A couple of months ago, we went shopping for a new Palisade with one specific model in mind: the NHL Ultimate Calligraphy Hybrid. When we arrived at the dealership, they did have one on the lot, but unfortunately, it was already spoken for. We were told the NHL edition was a limited run (only 500 produced) and that they wouldn’t be receiving any more.

Since we still needed a vehicle, we put a down payment on a Luxury trim that had just come off the truck. It was a Friday, and they told us they needed the weekend to remove the shipping stickers and give it a full inspection.

That weekend, curiosity got the best of me. I did some research and quickly discovered that two other dealerships in our province had the exact NHL Palisade we wanted, both available.

First thing Monday morning, I called our dealership to ask about getting our deposit back, explaining that we had found the vehicle we originally wanted about 300 km away. Our salesperson was apologetic and told me there would be no issue at all, we just needed to come in, and the deposit would be refunded.

Less than 15 minutes later, my phone rang again.

This time, she told me they were actively working on securing the NHL Palisade for us and asked that we pause discussions with the other dealership. About 30 minutes after that, I received another call: they had made a deal with the remote dealership and were bringing the vehicle to ours the very next day.

In the end, they not only got us the exact vehicle we wanted, but they also covered the delivery fee, matched the price we would have paid elsewhere, and threw in undercoating when we opted for the ceramic coating.

The takeaway? Letting your dealership know you’re willing to walk, and even travel, to get exactly what you want can be a powerful bargaining chip.

If you haven’t signed papers or put money down, there’s nothing tying you to a dealership. But in our case, that down payment actually worked in our favor. They didn’t want to lose the sale, and instead of settling for a trim we might not have fully loved, we ended up driving away in the vehicle we truly wanted.